Simon Cherry
About Author
Before he started writing children's books, Simon Cherry spent almost 20 years making television documentaries in the Arts Department at ITV. He has also written for newspapers, magazines and the stage.
Simon lives in Surrey with his wife, two teenage sons, and a ginger cat who is in charge of everyone else.
When not writing, he spends a lot of time looking at the garden and wishing it would weed itself. So far, this has not worked.
Interview
EDDIE STONE AND THE MEAN GENIE'S CURSE
USBORNE BOOKS
AUGUST 2018
The funny, accident-laden Eddy Stone books are perfect for children aged 8+ who are looking for fun stories that keep the reader on their toes. In his latest adventure, Eddy Stone accidentally releases a wizard - Wizard Witterwort - who is very good a granting wishes, but not so good at undoing them. Be very careful what you wish for...
We asked author SIMON CHERRY to tell us more about EDDY STONE AND THE MEAN GENIE'S CURSE:
Q: Your background is in television, so what brought you to writing books for children?
A: Short answer - we had twin boys, and every night my wife or I would read a story to them. When they got to about eight or nine years old, we found it hard to find books they wanted to listen to. They wanted longer books with proper stories, but the ones that caught their eye were things like Young Bond and Cherub, which are great but have quite a lot of gore in them that they weren't ready for. I decided to try to write a book that fitted the hole, with a proper plot, nothing stronger than 'mild peril', and lots of jokes - one that adults could enjoy reading and kids could enjoy listening to.
Longer answer - all the above, plus I had worked in the Arts Department at ITV for nearly twenty years. It was great place, but ITV closed it down. I had always written - before TV documentaries I had worked for newspapers and magazines and had plays and sketches
performed, so it wasn't a complete shot in the dark.
Q: Why did you decide to make your stories funny? Are those the kinds of books you preferred as a child?
A: I wanted the books to be fun, perhaps because when reading to the boys there was no feeling better than the three of us rolling around laughing.
I think you are right about preferring funny books as a child. I've kept some of my favourites from years ago, and they all fit that description - Just William, Asterix, Molesworth, Alice in Wonderland, Winnie the Pooh, and the wonderfully eccentric Uncle by JP Martin (about a very rich elephant who lives in a fantastic and enormous castle - recently reissued by Puffin and highly recommended). Those are the books that I read when I was young that I still love.
Q: Lots of strange and surprising things happen to your young hero, Eddy Stone. Do you plan the details of your story in advance, or just wait to see what happens?
A: It's a bit half and half. There has to be enough to start work - probably most of an ending, part of a beginning and a few ideas for some of what might happen in between. Then things start to grow and I let ideas develop, and keep the ones that make the best story.
I can't start to write without knowing a bit about the direction that things are going to go, but I don't have everything mapped out from the first sentence. I think if I planned every twist and turn in advance, it might suck the energy out of the writing.
Q: Eddy's stories have included adventures with pirates, aliens, and a genie. Do you have a favourite from your Eddy Stone books to date?
A: I get asked this quite a lot when I visit schools, and I always ask the children if they have brothers and sisters, and if they do how they would feel if someone knocked on their door and asked one of their parents who their favourite child was? You spend so much time with a book when you are writing it, that there has to be something in it that you like, or you would never be able to get through to finish it. So, no, I don't have a favourite.
Q: Why did you decide on a genie getting involved in Eddy Stone's latest adventure, Eddy Stone and the Mean Genie's Curse?
A: There were a couple of things that appealed. First, a lot of stories start with something going wrong that has to be put right, and I thought that magic wishes could make some really odd things happen that would turn life in Eddy's home town on its head in funny ways. And second, I liked the idea of Eddy having to find a way to beat a genie who has magic on his side - that felt like a real challenge for both of us.
Q: You've got some great supporting characters in this story - which one would you meet if you could?
A: I think I would choose the Emperor who has control over the genie. He loves playing practical jokes, and is often infuriating, but you could guarantee that meeting him would be a lot of fun, and never boring. And I'd get to find out what his mint-flavoured hat tastes like.
Q: One of the characters in the book wishes for a friend to talk to but ends up with a talking doll. What would your top wish have been if Wizard Witterwort granted you one? And how badly could your wish have gone wrong?
A: I can think of lots of worthy things to wish for that would improve the world (ending disease, poverty or hunger for a start), but in the book people don't know that they have a wish. They don't plan it, they just get whatever is in their mind the next time they think "I wish..."
So I'm going to pick a wish that I often had when I was a child, which is to be invisible. I loved the idea of being able to see what people did when they thought no-one was watching, or to solve mysteries because you could eavesdrop on people's evil schemes, or just to get into the cinema for free.
The great thing about being invisible is that no-one knows you are there. And, of course, the problem with being invisible is that no-one knows that you are there. Being in crowds would be impossible - you would get shoved around and people would always be treading on your toes. If you tried to talk to anyone they would think they were hearing weird voices. You would never get served anywhere. Even being at home would be difficult - every time you sat in a chair it would only be a matter of time before someone came and sat on top of you.
I think being invisible would turn out to be so awful that you would end up taking refuge in a
wardrobe or under the stairs, away from everyone.
Q: The genie in the story is commanded to build a palace of fun. If you could command the genie, what kind of palace would you ask for?
A: This time I am going to be worthy - I would have a palace that had a bed and a meal for anyone who needs them. Without giving away any of the plot, one of the ideas in the book is that working together and being generous achieves more than working alone and being selfish. So I'd have a palace of hospitality
Q: What have you got planned next for Eddy Stone?
A: I'm not sure yet. At the moment I'm giving Eddy a rest, and working on something else - another funny adventure that isn't quite ready to be revealed.
Q: Where do you write and when? And what is your favourite escape from writing?
A: I'm lucky to have an office in the loft with sky and trees and a big chunk of the roof to look at. I like to start writing in the morning before my brain gets clogged up with other stuff that stops the words flowing. (And by the way the internet is fatal. If I start looking up things 'for research', they can lead me down paths for hours on end).
My favourite escape is getting out on walks in the country with the family. And there are others, things that take my mind over completely, like getting immersed in a good movie or TV drama, or playing guitar - which I started recently and do extraordinarily badly. It takes all my brain to work out where my fingers should be. But I also like activities that leave a little corner of my head free for writing ideas to pop up unexpectedly, like gardening or cooking.
Q: What are your top tips for children to write a great funny story?
A: A good starting point is to say "What would happen if..." and to come up with one daft twist on everyday life and see where it leads you. What if ice cream was made illegal? What if a family of circus performers moved in next door? What if your baby brother suddenly became lighter than air and you had to take him everywhere on the end of a piece of string, like a balloon?
Any idea that grabs your imagination so that one thing follows another is worth pursuing. And if you want other people to find your writing funny, it needs to make you laugh as well.
Q: Can you tell us a little about what you do for your school events?
A: I have a presentation about historical pirates which is connected to Eddy Stone and the Epic Holiday. Sometimes I do this with Eddy's illustrator Francis Blake drawing live, and sometimes with a dressing up trunk and a 'willing' adult volunteer. The children tell me things a pirate would need for a voyage, and I fill in historical detail (much of it in Horrible Histories style). Lots of interaction, questions and ideas, followed by reading from the book and general Q&A. This works with Y3-Y6, up to 60 children (though I have done 120), and runs comfortably at an hour.
With Eddy Stone and the Mean Genie's Curse, I have run story-writing workshops in which the children each come up with a wish, and then we work on finding a way it could go wrong. This becomes the basis of a story plot, which teachers can give children time to complete later, or which can be left as an outline at the end of the session. Reading and Q&A as before. This hour-long event works best with Y5 & 6 and with one class at a time so there is time to talk to everyone individually. I am working on how to use the idea with younger children.
I have also run Book Group sessions with children who are familiar with one or more of the books, concentrating on a Q&A and reading for them.
Q: What is the funniest question you've been asked by a child during one of your events?
A: "What is your favourite pizza topping?" A perfectly reasonable, though off-topic, question, to which I gave a perfectly reasonable answer. But I then added that in my opinion pineapple had no business being anywhere near a pizza. The class split and what I would have to describe as a full and frank exchange of views followed, at very high volume.
Eddy Stone and the Mean Genie's Curse
Eddy Stone and the Alien Cat Attack
